"Come, Shinjuro, and little Mitsuba, hurry up and drink your porridge first."
In the warm little hut illuminated by a kerosene lamp, amidst the late-night wind and snow, Kamado Kie smiled as she brought two bowls of freshly cooked hot porridge, placing them before Mitsuba and Shinjuro.
Perhaps because she was a year or two older than Mitsuba and Shinjuro, this simple and kind country woman naturally took care of the two.
So late at night, she had specifically lit the stove again to cook a bowl of rice porridge for each of them.
"Thank you, Miss Kie."
Hurriedly standing up to receive the bowl, Mitsuba thanked her earnestly.
"Little girl, what are you thanking me for? Walking around in such heavy snow so late at night, hurry up and drink the porridge first to warm your body..."
"You two coming to this mountain so late, is there something you need?"
On the heated platform nearby, Kamado Tanjuro, who had been quietly watching this scene, slowly spoke, his voice somewhat low and hoarse.
As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Mitsuba.
It seemed he had already guessed that among the two people before him, Mitsuba was the one in charge.
"We are Demon Slay—"
"We were commissioned by hunters from outside to inquire about the traces of wild beasts in this mountain!"
Just as Mitsuba was about to speak, Shinjuro beside her blushingly interrupted.
Obviously, this straightforward young man was not skilled at lying. The moment he finished speaking, his earlobes turned red.
But there was no other way—the Demon Slayer Corps had regulations that absolutely forbade mentioning anything about demons or Demon Slayers to ordinary people.
Although Mitsuba had never obeyed this rule, Shinjuro cared deeply about it.
In his view, this was also a way to protect ordinary people from being drawn into these dangers.
"Is that so?"
Under the Transparent World, seeing through the unusual reaction within Shinjuro's body at a glance, Kamado Tanjuro turned to look at Mitsuba again.
Glancing at Shinjuro beside her who was desperately winking at her, Mitsuba let out a light sigh and nodded helplessly:
"Mm, more or less..."
[Simple child, he saw through you long ago...]
"I see."
Even so, Kamado Tanjuro asked no further.
He merely nodded calmly, and after a brief moment of contemplation, spoke again:
"Recently, the mountain has been quite peaceful. I have not heard of any signs of wild beast activity.
With the wind and snow raging outside, I still have a few empty rooms in my house. If you two don't mind, you may stay here for the night and continue your investigation tomorrow."
"Yes, the snow outside is so heavy. Little Mitsuba, you two should stay here tonight."
From the kitchen came Kamado Kie's warm and enthusiastic voice.
"This..."
Shinjuro subconsciously looked at Mitsuba beside him.
Only to see Mitsuba staring straight at Kamado Tanjuro across from her.
The two's gazes met, and Mitsuba detected the hidden intention in Tanjuro's words.
This special man before her wanted to use this opportunity to speak with her alone.
"Alright."
"..."
Late at night, in the early hours of the morning, after Kamado Kie and Shinjuro had both fallen into deep sleep, Mitsuba and Kamado Tanjuro respectively came to the corridor outside the house.
Although the wind and snow had stopped by now, thick clouds still shrouded the night sky, preventing the people on the ground from seeing any moonlight.
"Tsugikuni..."
Wrapped in a thick cotton coat, standing alone on the corridor, Kamado Tanjuro listened to the sound of Mitsuba's footsteps behind him and slowly spoke:
"I never expected that this would actually be a real surname."
"It sounds as though you have some understanding of my surname?"
Walking directly to his side, Mitsuba asked.
Her heart was currently filled with questions.
Or rather, ever since seeing this small wooden cabin in the deep mountains, her heart had been full of confusion.
Everything here was far too strange.
"No, I do not understand, nor can I answer the questions in Miss Tsugikuni's heart, but I believe that it perhaps can."
Slightly shaking his head, Kamado Tanjuro cast his gaze toward the grave in the nearby woods, which appeared to have existed for quite some years.
"The ancestors of our Kamado family, when on their deathbeds, have always instructed their descendants to take good care of that grave and absolutely not let it fall into ruin."
"Who is buried in that grave?"
"Regarding this, I truly do not know, but her name... is Tsugikuni Uta."
Buzz!
[Mitsuba, do you know?]
The moment this name came from Kamado Tanjuro's mouth, a sudden roar echoed in Mitsuba's mind.
[My dream was once to live a peaceful and happy life together with Uta.]
Beside her, a tall figure seemed to appear, glowing with faint light.
[In a small room, the whole family sleeping side by side, looking up to see the faces of my beloved, reaching out to touch them.]
This figure, with a voice faint and faraway—at once familiar and foreign—slowly spoke into Mitsuba's ear.
[This was my dream, and also the only true dream I have ever had...]
[Not as the Child of God, but as a human, the only thing I ever desired.]
Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. Mitsuba turned her head blankly, looking at this figure that had suddenly appeared beside her.
He had dark red long hair, wore a sun-like fiery red haori, and on his forehead was a strange mark shaped like flames.
[Yoriichi... Elder Brother?]
The mandala flower within her body instantly activated, completely covering up the causality of this scene. Mitsuba looked at this scene that should never have happened with disbelief.
The tears she had been holding back finally fell at this moment, sliding down her cheeks to the ground beside her feet.
[Mitsuba, this is the place.]
Smiling as he looked at his younger sister before him, Yoriichi's spirit raised his hand, pointing toward that grave in the woods.
[Uta sleeps there. I can feel it—she is still there.]
[Mitsuba, could I trouble you to bring Elder Brother's body here as well?]
The gazes of the brother and sister met. Mitsuba raised her head, deeply gazing at this elder brother of hers who had clearly died hundreds of years ago, yet because his inner obsession had not dispersed, had been unable to step into the afterlife.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded lightly.
[Mm.]
[Thank you, Mitsuba.]
With his final wish in the human world finally fulfilled, Yoriichi's spirit gradually began to dissipate.
This body emitting faint light slowly transformed into tiny orbs of light, drifting away in the night sky as if carried by the wind.
At the final moment before completely dissipating, Yoriichi looked at his younger sister before him and smiled, speaking his last words.
[If you have time later, come visit Elder Brother's grave more often. Perhaps here, you can find what Mitsuba seeks...]
[Mm, take care on your journey, Elder Brother.]
Mitsuba forced a smile onto her face, watching her elder brother's final departure.
[May you in your next life obtain the life you truly desire with the one you love.]
"Miss Tsugikuni?"
Beside her, Kamado Tanjuro's voice suddenly rang out.
He looked at Mitsuba, who had been staring blankly at her side with tears flowing since just now, and asked with confusion:
"You... did you think of something?"
"It's nothing, just some strange hallucinations..."
Wiping the corners of her eyes, collecting herself, brushing off what had just happened with a calm tone, Mitsuba quickly changed the subject.
"Mr. Kamado, could you tell me how you stepped into that transparent world?"